Thursday, February 12, 2009

fleece intentions

I keep collecting fleeces and with each passing one I try and figure on what I'll be doing with them project and prep-wise (probably will change, but fun to plan for!)

This one arrived last week, a variegated white/silver/brown Polwarth from NZ via Treenway Silks...

I have to admit, I'm not in love. Not for any rational reason-- I've washed up samples that are silky soft and check out the length of these staples...

You know me, size queen.

It's a combination of things-- one being I know I can't reliably blend a variegated fleece on the combs (I could, but it would mean combing it all and then blending and goodness patience is not one of my strong suits.) Another would be the cleanliness of the fleece.

It's really not that bad, but I know that unless I open each caked tip by hand before washing, the dirt inside will still be trapped after I wash (water won't magically open up caked tips full of dirt). Even though I comb and those monsters will easily open up and let fall the dirt of war, it'll make a NZ sandy mess all over my floor and... again, spoiled. I could comb outside like a normal person I suppose :)

So I'm not sure what this fleece's future will be. Part of me is tempted to wash in large chunks then space dye it-- then comb it (or flick card and spin from the individual lock). The resulting colors would probably be amazing if my dye job were up to par... but 2# washed, dyed fleece would be a lot. Another part wants to ship the 3# off to Spinderella's and have them deal with the washing and blending-- I know that I'd get back a beautiful, oatmeally-colored roving of wonderfulness. For now? Packed back into the closet!

Since I was going over the fleece for pics and maybe for mailing, I pulled off a few samples that may be interesting to yall.

Second cuts:

(above and below the staple)

These happen when the shearer goes over the same spot on the sheep in more than one pass-- sometimes you'll find little short-short bits of staples (1st pic) and sometimes you'll find a staple shorn in half or less (2nd pic). It's a hard job, shearing... and I don't think I have seen a fleece with NO second cuts (these were the few I found in this one). Left in when carding they'll turn into little neps in your batts, left in combing they'd get combed out but there's no reason not to pull them when you see them.

Variation across a fleece:

The staple lengths can vary across a fleece, but the crimp can as well. Here, it's fun to note the whiter portions have a bolder/stronger crimp (less crimps per inch) than the brown portions which have a finer crimp (more crimps per inch). Also, more finely crimped fleeces generally grow at a slower rate than a less crimped fleece-- here the stronger crimped staples are longer across the fleece. A Fine Fleece had a really interesting tip-- not only for spinning to the crimp, but using the crimp to determine the size needle you should be using for the fiber you're spinning into yarn (by laying a needle in the crimp itself!)

When I say 'fine' here, it's not the fineness of the fiber (micron diameter, fine wool like merino etc.) but how many crimps there are per inch. You can see that the darker staple has more crimps per inch and the whiter staple has fewer-- fine vs strong *for this fleece and breed.* A finely crimped Romney may have as many crimps per inch as the stronger crimp of this Polwarth.

I've seen lots of online sellers of wool take the time to describe the type of crimp in the fleece they're selling and how even that crimp is across the fleece; here you can see a fleece that has a variation across the fleece (but not the staples themselves).

Now, for an even across the entirety, so clean let's have a picnic or a bearskin romp on it Polwarth (also from Treenway Silks!)...

Meow.

Random staples, slight variation in color (some are a bit silvery, some are a warmer/cooler brown) but overall very even in length, color and crimp:

Intention? No question-- next in line for washing up here at home and eventually handcombing.